IN THE THREE-YEAR PERIOD 1990-1992, real income in the Barbados economy declined by 12.9 per cent. This is substantially more than the decline of 1.3 per cent for the eight-year period 2008-2015. Yet, the decline in the quality of life of Barbadians
has been more dramatic in the latter period. This has to be attributed to the hands into which the economy has fallen.
Say what you like about former Prime Minister Erskine Sandiford, he made decisions that were unpopular at the time. However, he did not take eight years to try to solve the economic problems, whatever the source. He did not loiter on the steps of expediency; rather, he defined an objective and executed a programme.
After eight years, it is still not clear what the Government is trying to achieve on the economic front. The political objective of playing for time is quite clear. What is even clearer is that the Government is hoping that a set of events will force it to finally do what it should have done several years ago. That is, provide some relief for Barbadian workers and taxpayers.
In the circumstances, the playing for time would coincide with the euphoria of the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence and hopefully provide some momentum into the next general election. In short, the old adage that Barbadians have short memories would have been effectively executed. And we would all live happily ever after.
The future of Barbados is not going to be that simple after the damage that has been and is still being done. More than ever, there has to be the intellectualisation of the way forward. It will not be business as usual as Barbadians become more apathetic about politics.
When the last two elections are put into context with respect to what was promised and what was achieved, the way forward has to be far more effectively evaluated. Not only have Barbadians’ incomes been decimated, but so too have their current and future wealth. The quality of life of future generations of Barbadians has been severely threatened.
In this regard, Barbadians must be concerned about the restoration of the life they enjoyed in the past and more so about the protection of the quality of life of their offspring. This is a compelling concern for any reasonable and fair-minded occupant of this little rock.
It is one thing to have a love affair, or indeed obsession with a pebble from the past, but it is quite another to recognise that the thing with which you were obsessed no longer is. It has disintegrated over the years and is not of the same grain. The real obsession is how to make what is left better. This can only be achieved through objective analysis. The time for such is truly upon us.
There is an ongoing attempt to avoid analysis of the facts before us. Yet there is persistent chatter about the need to find solutions. It is impossible to find solutions without doing the adequate diagnoses. Any other approach is simply one that is designed to deliberately confuse Barbadians.
Fortunately, it does take a while to destroy an economy but once the process starts, it is exceedingly hard to reverse it. The best indicator of such a process as it relates to the Barbados economy is the failure of the Government to restore sustainable economic growth.
It is therefore not surprising that the Government is more than prepared to embrace any semblance of hope, even coming from an institution from which it has sought to detach itself in public over the last eight years. There are political scars from the past, but should Barbadians be forced to endure such economic scars because of the Government’s fears?
Some have argued that self-interest is what is guiding the Government’s behaviour. Some have even sought to justify the behaviour on political grounds. But this country’s economic and social development must be paramount to the desires of any one institution.
In the prevailing economic and social circumstances, it is understandable that mediocrity may be exalted. But let us not forget how this country’s progress was won. It did not come from selfish pursuit. Rather, the need to utilise and share the little we had was the primary basis of our progress. Giving opportunity to the underprivileged was the way we empowered them.
The greatest injustice done over this period of decline is the institutionalisation of denying opportunity to the least able, while finding ways to promote the most able.
• Dr Clyde Mascoll is an economist and Opposition Barbados Labour Party advisor on the economy. Email: clyde_mascoll@hotmail.com